I’m back. It was good to go up the ridge for a few days. I was attending a smallish gathering of family and friends. One turkey down and no left overs. There was lots of good eats. I spent the last few days getting thoroughly trounced at video games like “The Angry Birds”. My face hurts from laughing and that’s a good thing.

Well, back to the real world. first up is a off the grid charger. For those times when the power is off/out.

Thermoelectric USB charger – off grid electricity.

This strange looking pan is a device to generate power from a low temperature heat source. By using the seebeck effect, it is able to produce enough electricity to charge a cell phone and other USB devices. The best part about this contraption is that it has no moving parts.

The device has a nimh power pack which stores electrical energy for use whenever you need it, the power pack can be detached for use anywhere. The output is 5V through a USB port. This device would work especially well were there is snow available for extra cooling – for example off grid cabins in remote (snowy) locations. It could serve as dual purpose – melting snow for water and producing electricity ? The bigger the temperature difference between the two sides of the peltier the greater the power output.

This idea is not new, it has been around for a long time. See here for some very
old thermoelectric generators